There must be someone.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

This is very similar to the Women’s Battle Royal as almost no one jumps out as a likely winner. However, this time around I’m expecting more surprise names to show up and potentially win the thing. That makes for some hard guessing though as you never know who might actually be in the match. You might get someone big but at the same time you might get someone like Mojo Rawley last year, which came out of the neighborhood across the road behind left field.

Based on the names we have at the moment though, Matt Hardy seems like the best option, but I could easily see him getting eliminated so Michael Cole can make a joke about how Hardy’s nonsense didn’t get him anywhere and he lost in the end anyway. That’s such a WWE thing to do and it wouldn’t shock me in the least. If it’s a surprise entrant, I’ll go with…..Samoa Joe, even if him returning on “Raw” would make more sense.

It’s like Summerslam 1993 all over again.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Now if the Bryan/McMahon match had the potential to be great or a mess, this one is even stronger. They’ve built this up as a dream match for several months now and really, I’m not sure how well it’s going to go. If they have the time to put in and tear the house down, everything is going to be fine and they’ll rock the place. If they don’t get the time though, it’s nowhere near what they’re capable of doing. The match could be great, but it’s all about the execution and which Nakamura shows up.

I’ll take Styles to retain though. This has been coming off as nearly a layup with Nakamura coming in, kicking Styles really hard and kneeing him in the face to win the title. The problem is that it seems too simple. It’s like they’re setting it up so perfectly that it doesn’t make sense to have Styles lose here. I have no idea who takes the title from Styles down the road, but I don’t think it’s Nakamura here. Just an instinct, so get ready for Nakamura’s dancing celebration.

….they couldn’t.  Right?

Daniel Bryan/Shane McMahon vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

This is one of the most dangerous things WWE is doing. Not with putting Bryan back in the ring, but possibly with having everything going off the rails in short order. There’s a real chance that McMahon turns on Bryan here, but I’m really not writing off the idea of Bryan turning. It would be the dumbest idea in the world, but that’s why I think WWE might actually pull the trigger.

I’ll go with some hope though and say Bryan and McMahon win clean to send Owens and Zayn to “Raw”. I’m not sure who would be the next boss on “Smackdown Live” as there’s no reason to have Bryan around, especially if McMahon is taking a leave of absence (which likely means he’s done) but Bryan and McMahon winning to end the story makes the most sense. A turn isn’t out of the question, but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt this time.

This might be the match that interests me the most.

Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali

Actually, this might be the match that has grabbed my interest more than anything else. They’ve turned this match into something that I actually want to see and I never would have guessed that would be possible. Either guy could pull this off and it’s going to be fun to see which way they wind up going to crown a new champion.

Really though, I think they have to go with Alexander. He’s come up short too many times before to have him lose yet again. Let Alexander FINALLY get the title and move on from there. I don’t want Ali to turn heel, even if both guys have been teasing turning in recent weeks. There’s no need to turn either here though as you can wait for that for later. For now though, Alexander needs to win and we can move on from there.

This is a long term issue.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Charlotte(c) vs. Asuka

While the Raw Women’s Title match is built up as a definitive end for the Bliss vs. Jax feud, this one is more about the long term storytelling. Asuka’s undefeated streak is one of the best streaks of all time and now she’s likely going to win a main card title. However, the question then is who stops Asuka down the road. Is it Ronda Rousey down the line or Charlotte here?

But yeah, I’m not going with any kind of a surprise here as I’m taking Asuka winning the title here as Charlotte can get a rematch in a month or so. Asuka can defend a few times before setting up the real showdown with Rousey either at “Summerslam 2018” or “Wrestlemania XXXV” but she wins here. Charlotte will be fine and a heel turn with her chasing the title could be interesting as well.

Please don’t waste this.

Intercontinental Title: The Miz(c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

This was almost a guaranteed layup title change (not sure who would have been winning) but then Miz became a father. Earlier this week on “Monday Night Raw”, Miz gave one of the most heartfelt speeches you’ll ever hear when he talked about looking at his daughter for the first time and wanting her to be proud of him. It almost turned Miz face on the spot and that made me wonder if things were as simple as they seemed. Throw in Miz being less than a month away from the most days as champion and it’s just not such an easy win.

I’ll take Rollins to win the title here though, as WWE seems like the kind of place that would forget what they did on Monday and go with their regular plans. Rollins getting the big win would be a nice boost for him, even though Balor needs the win more. I’d rather have Miz retain and set the record, but it would be a stretch to ignore that speech from Miz on Monday as it was that good.

With or without bonus toys.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos(c) vs. New Day vs. Bludgeon Brothers

There were rumors that this would be a TLC match and of course that’s always an option as WWE has added stipulations at the last minute before. The Bludgeon Brothers have looked like the most dominant teams in a good while despite almost never winning a major match yet. The Usos and New Day have been awesome against each other, but it’s hard to say what we might see with the monsters included.

I was going to go with the Bludgeon Brothers here but really, I could see the Usos retaining and then the Bludgeon Brothers taking the titles in a regular match. It wouldn’t make any sense and would be straight up dumb, but that’s the kind of thing WWE excels at. The Bludgeon Brothers are going to wind up with the titles at some point in the near future, but I just don’t think it’s here.

Pick from someone.

Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal

After all the controversy over Fabulous Moolah, it’s time to get down to the actual point…and it’s really hard to care. We just saw a much bigger and more important women’s battle royal about two months ago and now we’re supposed to get fired up for this. I haven’t been able to care about it for the most part as it’s just a match that we’ve seen recently without much else to it.

I’ll take…Bayley to win the thing I guess, as she and Sasha Banks are pretty clearly ready for a big time feud. Other than that though, who else is supposed to win the thing? A lot of the names in the thing (of fourteen announced) are just cannon fodder and that leaves a handful of options to win the match. Other than that the only real options (barring a big surprise entrant) are Banks and Becky Lynch, unless you have someone out of left field win it and then go nowhere as a result.

We have arrived. It’s FINALLY time for the biggest night of the wrestling year and that means we’re in New Orleans for “Wrestlemania XXXIV”. There’s a huge card with some top level title matches, Daniel Bryan’s long awaited in-ring return and a few questions about what we may or may not be seeing. The card is actually stacked, but it’s hard to say what we might be seeing with all of the wild cards that might be thrown our way. It’s time to break the whole thing down so let’s get to it.

Raw Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss(c) vs. Nia Jax

I figured I’d start with what should be the shortest match on the card. This story is built around the idea of Bliss bullying the much bigger Jax for both her looks and her size, which has gotten to Jax after having heard this all her life. It’s turned Jax into a monster who wants to destroy Bliss once and for all. Jax has never won a title and Bliss has taken out almost everyone else, but now it’s time for the showdown.

Based on the story that has been told, this should be Jax squashing Bliss in under two minutes. Bliss can get in a few shots, but Jax should just snap up, throw Bliss into the corner, and wreck her in short order. There’s no reason to believe that Bliss can hang with her in a straight fight. Jax needs to destroy her once and for all, which is exactly what this has been setting up for.

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s a big wrestling weekend and that means it’s time for another NXT Takeover special. As is almost always the case, that means NXT could steal the weekend again. It’s not like they haven’t done it before as their previous special featured one of the best matches WWE has produced in a good many years. This time around there’s a match that has been built up for the better part of a year and if the build is any indication, it could be a masterpiece. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Ember Moon(c) vs. Shayna Baszler

We’ll get one of the easier ones out of the way first with this rematch. Moon won the title after Asuka moved up to the main roster and hasn’t exactly impressed as champion. She’s not very interesting and never actually beating Asuka didn’t do her any favors. Why should I buy her as the top star of the division when Asuka never lost and Moon gets to be the best of the ones still in NXT?

Naturally I’m taking Baszler to win here as there’s no reason not to. Baszler has been the best character in the division for a long time now and can choke people out for awhile until the next challenger is ready. There’s nothing left for her to do but win the title and dominate as champion, though I’m not sure where that leaves Moon. I’m not sure what she would do on the main roster other than just being another name, but there isn’t much left for her in NXT.

North American Title: Adam Cole vs. Killian Dain vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Ricochet vs. EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream

Take six guys, put a ladder above the ring and see what happens I guess. This is for the inaugural title and there’s really not much else to say. Two of the participants are brand new and the match is wide open. I’d rather this be a pinfall or submission match with elimination rules but that’s never been WWE’s path forward on something like this. The match should be fun but there’s a good chance of it being a total mess, as is often the case in a big match with ladders involved.

That being said, I’ll take…..geez Dream I guess. There’s no wrong answer to this and while seeing Sullivan win the title would make sense, I’m seeing Dream going on to Brooklyn and winning the NXT Title so this is a good place to start. I’ll give NXT this though: they’ve put together six people and you really could pick any of them to win the title. That’s not the case very often and it’s really cool to see for a change.

NXT Title: Andrade Cien Almas(c) vs. Aleister Black

The more I think of this, the more unsure I am of the outcome. Almas is being presented as Black’s next victim but that was the same thing that was said when he faced Drew McIntyre. I’m not sure if that’s the case here as Almas winning and holding on to the title until “Takeover: Brooklyn” could be interesting. I could easily see Gargano getting one more chance in Brooklyn, but I’m not sure that’s where they’re going.

I’ll take Black winning the title and getting rid of Almas to send him to the main roster, but I’m almost thinking I’m wrong as I write this out. Almas and Zelina Vega are an amazing act together and having him give Black his first singles loss could be a great crowning achievement for him. This could be interesting, but they better not let it main event with a certain other match on the card.

Tag Team Titles/Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Adam Cole/Kyle O’Reilly(c) vs. Authors of Pain vs. Roderick Strong/Pete Dunne

This is one of those things that will be wrapped up by the time you read this and really, I’m not sure where to go here. Bobby Fish being injured throws everything up in the air, though Cole and O’Reilly continuing for months as a team would be just fine. This is getting more and more confusing the more I think about it as they really could go with any of the three teams here and get the right call.

I think I’ll go with Undisputed Era retaining and winning the tournament at the same time (ignore how ridiculous that sounds). The Authors don’t have anything else to win and I’m not sure if they’re going to go with a makeshift team winning to give Dunne a second title. The Era feels like the safe pick here but just like in the ladder match, it’s a wide open field where anyone could come out with the titles.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

This needs to main event the show, full stop. These two have put on one of the biggest rivalries in years, despite not actually having a match yet. This is unsanctioned and anything goes (as it should be) but it’s going to be all about emotion. If you have a match where they both come out looking to kill each other, it’s a complete pick em and could be one of the most heart wrenching matches NXT has ever done.

I’ll go with Gargano in what should be a layup. I’m scared of the idea of him going to the main roster and being the latest big star on “205 Live” because that place hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in the near year and a half’s worth of chances it’s had. I want to see these two tear each other’s heads off and that’s not something you can put together over night. Let us see something special, and let it close the show.

Overall Thoughts

I’m looking forward to this, which is almost a weird feeling coming in to a Takeover. For some reason the build doesn’t always have me fired up for a show but this could be a classic up and down the card. NXT has stolen many a big wrestling weekend and there’s no reason they can’t pull it off all over again. This is what they do and I hope to see them pull it off one more time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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